By Sean Crawford, Illinois Public Radio
Springfield, IL – Voters won't get a say this year on recalling elected officials. The Illinois Senate voted down an effort to change the state's constitution. It fell three votes shy of passing.
The effort has been aimed at unpopular Governor Rod Blagojevich, whose inability to work with fellow Democrats or Republicans has contributed to the current gridlock.
Democratic Senator Mike Jacobs from the Quad Cities has had plenty of disagreements with Blagojevich but says changing the constitution for one person goes too far.
"The notion of recall is better suited for cars than for the Governor. Forget recall, The Governor should do the right thing and that's called resign," he said.
Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn was among the most vocal supporters of recall. He says he knows where to lay the blame,
"I thought the Governor was for recall. he told me and the whole population of Illinois that he was a recall supporter. But all I saw in the last couple of weeks was the Governor and his allies doing everything possible to keep the recall amendment off the ballot. They ought to be ashamed of themselves, starting with Governor Rod Blagojevich."
The recall amendment went far beyond recalling state officials. It also would have covered judges and local officials. If legislators had approved the amendment, it would have been placed on the fall ballot so voters could decide whether to give it final approval.